spicy – that paleo couple

Zesty Buffalo-Ranch Chicken Wings

September 29, 2012December 12, 2015by Brent Schrader4 Comments

Just because we had to start the season with replacement referees doesn’t mean you should be substituting your buffalo wing flavor. As a diehard Green Bay Packer fan who made these wings for the night we lost to the Seahawks, these wings were the only thing that was good about that night. I hope you all get a chance to make these, as wings are one of my favorite things to eat, and having them without the breading or other junk.

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Fiery Harvest Turkey Legs

September 12, 2012October 16, 2012by Brent SchraderLeave a comment

Turkey legs are probably one of my favorite foods. From the first time going to the Renaissance Faire to Thanksgiving, they stand out a lot in memorable moments growing up. I always get a drumstick at Thanksgiving, and I always pass out promptly 45-60 minutes later for a few hours; there’s something about the leg that really makes you feel like a caveman/carnivore. This was a fun experimentation with different spices and flavors, and I think it turned out fantastic. I can’t wait to make this again sometime soon.

Fiery Harvest Turkey Legs:

2 turkey legs (approx 1.75lbs)

2 tbsp ghee/bacon fat/coconut oil

1 tsp whole coriander

1/2 tsp whole cloves

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ancho chili pepper

1/8 tsp garlic

1/8 tsp smoked paprika

First you’ll want to take all of your dry ingredients and add them into your mortar and pestle and crush into a fine powder. While you’re working on that, preheat the oven to 350ºF.

After you’ve mixed the ingredients, heat your fat and brush it on all sides of the legs as well as the inside of the baking dish you’re using. Then cover legs with the dry rub.

Now they’re ready for the oven.

Bake for 90 minutes, and enjoy how the house starts to smell. We took the opportunity to go for a run, and when we got back it was magical.

When you’ve wrapped that up, let them sit for around 5 minutes to cool, and dig in. Silverware is optional.

Also, keep an eye open for our upcoming giveaway––it should be live ~~on Friday!~~ ~~NOW! Enter here!~~(Closed 9/28/12)

Bacon & Sweet Potato Jalapeño Boats

September 3, 2012December 8, 2014by Brent Schrader7 Comments

This was an experiment that Heather and I have been tossing up back and forth for about two weeks now. We weren’t sure exactly how to execute it, but we finally pulled the trigger yesterday morning when we decided we were going to attend our first meat-up hosted by Stacy and Matt, of Paleo Parents fame. We have lived in this area for some time and always had or found an excuse to not go, but it was absolutely amazing! We also spent some time chatting with The Domestic Man. Both of these blogs are great resources, if you’re not already aware of them.

If you are in the Northern Virginia area, I highly suggest you attend. If not, try to get together with friends monthly–the positive reinforcement and social gathering is very powerful.

Ok, enough preaching. We threw these together for the gathering, and while I’m not sure they were perfect, I was pretty happy with the outcome. The idea started as another “bacon-wrapped jalapeño” fill-in-the-blank, but then grew into a twice-baked sweet potato fantasy. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

2 large sweet potatoes
6 strips Whole30 friendly bacon
10 jalapeños, halved and cleaned
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
smoked paprika (for sprinkling)

Preparation:

1. Chop bacon into small chunks, peel (and shred) sweet potatoes, and halve and deseed jalapeños.

2. Sautee bacon over medium heat to soften (no more than 2 minutes) and then add shredded sweet potato.

3. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

4. Once cooked through, allow to cool and then place into blender or large bowl to mash. Add salt and pepper. At this point, preheat oven to 375ºF.

5. With a spoon/spatula, fill jalapeño shells with mashed bacon and sweet potato mixture.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

7. Remove and sprinkle with roasted paprika.

These were very hot, I think in large part due to the fact that Whole Foods only had gigantic jalapeños. Smaller sized peppers would definitely help. Also try this mixture in mushroom caps or non-spicy peppers. It is a great flavor finger food that’s also pretty filling. We hope you enjoy!

Homemade Spicy Sausage

February 14, 2012October 16, 2012by Brent SchraderLeave a comment

We’ve seen a lot of great recipes lately calling for sweet or spicy sausage, and unfortunately, we couldn’t find any without sugar or preservatives, so we decided to take it on ourselves. We’ve almost run out of it so far, but there have been several great applications–those recipes will come later in the week.

Here’s what went into the sausage:

2 lb pork (we used the stew meat pork cut from the super market)
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp fresh dill
1 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 tbsp coconut vinegar
1 roasted jalapeño pepper, diced

Using our ninja, we pulsed the pork with the ingredients until it was well mixed. After grinding it, we then let it sit for two hours before cooking with it so that the flavors all melded and settled. This has unbelievable potential, and we hope you add it to your next meal.

Spicy Scallops on Spinach

February 10, 2012October 16, 2012by Brent Schrader1 Comment

Tonight we decided to start to work toward emptying all of the frozen foods out of our freezer; it’s really out of control. We picked up a large bag of frozen scallops at Costco last week, so tonight was a great night to experiment. I looked around at new and old scallop recipes, but I really wanted to go in a different direction. Here is how it went down.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 minced cloves of garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1.5 lb scallops (10-12 large)

I heated the garlic and red pepper flakes in the olive oil over medium-high heat in my cast iron skillet. While I typically enjoy using the skillet, next time I’ll stick with a more traditional pan (the clean up was not a good time).

Once cooked down a bit, I added in the scallops. Two minutes per side, and then took off to rest.

The smell was pretty great. I was worried the garlic and spice from the pepper flakes would be too overwhelming, but fortunately it was just right for me. A lingering heat in the mouth that slowly settled with water and time. If you’re not a big fan of spice, I would recommend limiting it to 1/2 tsp. I placed these over a bed of spinach, and dinner was served. I’ll happily do this again with the rest of the scallops…just in a non-stick pan.